This invention relates to silver halide emulsions containing isothiazolone compounds and methods of making such emulsions.
Problems with fogging have plagued the photographic industry from its inception. Fog is a deposit of silver or dye that is not directly related to the image-forming exposure, e.g., when a developer acts upon an emulsion layer, some reduced silver is formed in areas that have not been exposed to light. The fog sites on silver halide crystals can originate during emulsion manufacture or during aging of the photographic element. During the aging process, fog can become exaggerated by extremes in temperature and humidity. Fog can be defined as developed density that is not associated with the action of the image-forming exposure, and is usually expressed as xe2x80x9cD-minxe2x80x9d, the density obtained in the unexposed portions of the emulsion. Developed density, as normally measured, includes both that produced by fog and that produced by exposure to light.
Silver halide emulsions containing a high content of chloride, such as silver chloride or silver iodochloride, are known for their high photographic sensitivities and rapid processability as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,736,310; 5,728,516; 5,726,005; and 5,674,674. Such emulsions are also prone to large degrees of fogging, especially in context with their use in reflective-support photographic display materials. To minimize this fog, mercuric salts and other antifoggants have been employed to satisfaction as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,789; 5,550,013; and 5,547,827. Unfortunately, such fog-combating compounds are not without drawbacks. In recent years, it has become necessary to eliminate the need for mercuric salts in photographic products, especially in high chloride content emulsion formulations. Many other compounds which are useful as antifoggants also reduce speed. Even when using mercuric salts or other antifoggants during emulsion precipitation, where fog density is generally less than 0.10 reflection density, other means are needed to prevent the coated emulsion from undergoing changes during the aging processes.
In this invention it has been discovered that a specific group of isothiazolones is particularly useful in controlling fog in high chloride emulsions when added before or during precipitation of certain emulsions. Isothiazolones are known as useful biocides for silver halide photographic elements as described in Research Disclosure 37026, February 1995; in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,224,403 and 4,490,462; and in JP 09-329862 and JP 10-011739. JP 09-133977 describes one class of isothiazolones as reducing fog when added during precipitation of a silver halide emulsion. However, nowhere has it been recognized or described that the specific group of isothiazolones of the invention confers significant advantageous sensitometric benefits when present during emulsion precipitation.
This invention provides a silver halide photographic element comprising a silver halide emulsion which is greater than 50 mole-% silver chloride, said emulsion containing an isothiazolone compound represented by the formula 
wherein R1 is a substituent; and Z contains the carbon atoms necessary to form a substituted or unsubstituted non-aromatic ring, wherein the isothiazolone compound was added before or during precipitation of the emulsion. It also provides a method of making the above described emulsion.
The isothiazolones used in this invention are highly effective at suppressing fog in silver halide emulsions when used during the precipitation stage of the emulsion manufacture. Not only do the isothiazolones reduce fog, they also stabilize the emulsion against sensitometric changes during aging of the emulsion. Further, they do so without significantly reducing speed.
The isothiazolone compounds utilized in this invention are represented by the formula 
Z contains the carbon atoms necessary to form a substituted or unsubstituted non-aromatic ring. Preferably Z is a substituted or unsubstituted five or six-membered non-aromatic ring, and more preferably Z is a substituted or unsubstituted five-membered non-aromatic ring. In one suitable embodiment Z is an unsubstituted non-aromatic five-membered ring.
R1 can be any substituent which is suitable for use in a silver halide photographic element and which does not interfere with the fog restraining activity of the isothiazolone compound. Preferably R1 is a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic group.
When R1 is an aliphatic group, preferably, it is an alkyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkenyl or alkynyl group having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms. More preferably, it is an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an alkenyl or alkynyl group having 3 to 5 carbon atoms. Most preferably it is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. These groups may or may not have substituents. Examples of alkyl groups include methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, 2-ethylhexyl, decyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl, octadecyl, cyclohexyl, isopropyl and t-butyl groups. Examples of alkenyl groups include allyl and butenyl groups and examples of alkynyl groups include propargyl and butynyl groups.
The preferred aromatic groups have from 6 to 20 carbon atoms and include, among others, phenyl and naphthyl groups. More preferably, the aromatic groups have 6 to 10 carbon atoms and most preferably the aromatic groups are phenyl. These groups may be substituted or unsubstituted. The heterocyclic groups are 3 to 15-membered rings or condensed rings with at least one atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, selenium and tellurium. More preferably, the heterocyclic groups are 5 to 6-membered rings with at least one atom selected from nitrogen. Examples of heterocyclic groups include pyrrolidine, piperidine, pyridine, tetrahydrofuran, thiophene, oxazole, thiazole, imidazole, benzothiazole, benzoxazole, benzimidazole, selenazole, benzoselenazole, tellurazole, triazole, benzotriazole, tetrazole, oxadiazole, or thiadiazole rings.
Nonlimiting examples of substituent groups for R1 and Z include alkyl groups (for example, methyl, ethyl, hexyl), aryl groups (for example, phenyl, naphthyl, tolyl), acyl groups (for example, acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, valeryl), sulfonyl groups (for example, methylsulfonyl, phenylsulfonyl), ether groups (for example methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, butoxy), hydroxyl groups and nitrile groups. Preferred substituents are lower alkyl groups, i.e., those having 1 to 4 carbon atoms (for example, methyl), hydroxyl groups, and halogen groups (for example, chloro).
The isothiazolones may be prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,708,959xe2x80x94Shroot et al; 4,851,541xe2x80x94Maignan et al; 5,082,966xe2x80x94Moffat; 5,336,777xe2x80x94Moffat et al; and 5,466,814xe2x80x94Moffat et al, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Some of them are also available commercially from Zeneca Biocides, Inc., Wilmington, Del.
It is understood throughout this specification and claims that any reference to a substituent by the identification of a group or a ring containing a substitutable hydrogen (e.g., alkyl, amine, aryl, alkoxy, heterocyclic, etc.), unless otherwise specifically described as being unsubstituted or as being substituted with only certain substituents, shall encompass not only the substituent""s unsubstituted form but also its form substituted with any substituents which do not negate the advantages of this invention. Nonlimiting examples of suitable substituents are alkyl groups (for example, methyl, ethyl, hexyl), aryl groups (for example, phenyl, naphthyl, tolyl), acyl groups (for example, acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, valeryl), sulfonyl groups (for example, methylsulfonyl, phenylsulfonyl), alkoxy groups, hydroxy groups, alkylthio groups, arylthio groups, acylamino groups, sulfonylamino groups, acyloxy groups, carboxyl groups, cyano groups, sulfo groups and amino groups.
Useful levels of the isothiazolone compounds range from about 0.02 to 10 mmole/mole Ag, more preferably 0.05 to 2.0 mmole/mole Ag, and most preferably 0.10 to 1.0 mmole/mole Ag. The isothiazolone compounds may be used in addition to any conventional emulsion stabilizer or antifoggant as commonly practiced in the art. Combinations of more than one isothiazolone compound may be utilized.
The photographic emulsions of this invention are generally prepared by precipitating silver halide crystals in a colloidal matrix by methods conventional in the art. The colloid is typically a hydrophilic film forming agent such as gelatin, alginic acid, or derivatives thereof.
The crystals formed in the precipitation step are washed and then chemically and spectrally sensitized by adding spectral sensitizing dyes and chemical sensitizers, and by providing a heating step during which the emulsion temperature is raised, typically from 40xc2x0 C. to 70xc2x0 C. and maintained for a period of time. The emulsion is then cooled to about 40xc2x0 C. or less to stop chemical sensitization. The precipitation and spectral and chemical sensitization methods utilized in preparing the emulsions employed in the invention can be any of those methods known in the art.
Chemical sensitization of the emulsion typically employs sensitizers such as: sulfur-containing compounds, e.g., allyl isothiocyanate, sodium thiosulfate and allyl thiourea; reducing agents, e.g., polyamines and stannous salts; noble metal compounds, e.g., gold, platinum; and polymeric agents, e.g., polyalkylene oxides. As described, heat treatment is employed to complete chemical sensitization. Spectral sensitization is effected with a combination of dyes, which are designed for the wavelength range of interest within the visible or infrared spectrum. It is known to add such dyes both before and after heat treatment.
After spectral sensitization, the emulsion is coated on a support. Various coating techniques include dip coating, air knife coating, curtain coating and extrusion coating.
The isothiazolone compounds may be added to the photographic emulsion anytime before or during precipitation, however they must be added before the end of precipitation. The compounds may be added using any technique suitable for this purpose. For example, they may be added to the vessel containing the aqueous gelatin and salt solution before the start of the precipitation; they may also be added during precipitation to the salt solution, the silver nitrate solution, or from a separate jet directly into the kettle. A preferred method of addition is to add the isothiazolone compounds to the reaction kettle after the initial nucleation stage. Equally preferred is to add the compounds during the crystal growth phase of precipitation. The compounds can be added from solutions or as solids. For example, they can be dissolved in a suitable solvent and added directly to the precipitation solutions.
The silver halide emulsions utilized in this invention are greater than 50 mole-% silver chloride. More preferably the emulsions are greater than 90 mole-% silver chloride and most preferably greater than 95 mole-% silver chloride.
The silver halide emulsions can contain grains of any size and morphology. Thus, the grains may take the form of cubes, octahedrons, cubo-octahedrons, or any of the other naturally occurring morphologies of cubic lattice type silver halide grains. Further, the grains may be irregular such as spherical grains or tabular grains.
The photographic elements suitable for use with this invention may be simple single layer elements or multilayer, multicolor elements. They may also be black and white elements. Multicolor elements contain dye image-forming units sensitive to each of the three primary regions of the visible light spectrum. Each unit can be comprised of a single emulsion layer or of multiple emulsion layers sensitive to a given region of the spectrum. The layers of the element, including the layers of the image-forming units, can be arranged in various orders as known in the art. The silver halide elements may be reversal or negative elements, or transmission or reflection elements (including color paper).
A typical multicolor photographic element comprises a support bearing a cyan dye image-forming unit comprising at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one cyan dye-forming coupler; a magenta image-forming unit comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one magenta dye-forming coupler; and a yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one yellow dye-forming coupler. The element may contain additional layers, such as filter layers, interlayers, overcoat layers, subbing layers, and the like.
The photographic elements may also contain a transparent magnetic recording layer such as a layer containing magnetic particles on the underside of a transparent support, as described in Research Disclosure, November 1992, Item 34390 published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd., Dudley Annex, 12a North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7DQ, ENGLAND. Typically, the element will have a total thickness (excluding the support) of from about 5 to about 30 microns. Further, the photographic elements may have an annealed polyethylene naphthalate film base such as described in Hatsumei Kyoukai Koukai Gihou No. 94-6023, published Mar. 15, 1994 (Patent Office of Japan and Library of Congress of Japan) and may be utilized in a small format system, such as described in Research Disclosure, June 1994, Item 36230 published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd., Dudley Annex, 12a North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7DQ, ENGLAND, and such as the Advanced Photo System, particularly the Kodak ADVANTIX films or cameras.
In the following Table, reference will be made to (1) Research Disclosure, December 1978, Item 17643, (2) Research Disclosure, December 1989, Item 308119, (3) Research Disclosure, September 1994, Item 36544, and (4) Research Disclosure, September 1996, Item 38957, all published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd., Dudley Annex, 12a North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7DQ, ENGLAND, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The Table and the references cited in the Table are to be read as describing particular components suitable for use in the elements of the invention. The Table and its cited references also describe suitable ways of preparing, exposing, processing and manipulating the elements, and the images contained therein. Photographic elements and methods of processing such elements particularly suitable for use with this invention are described in Research Disclosure, February 1995, Item 37038, published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd., Dudley Annex, 12a North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7DQ, ENGLAND, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The photographic elements can be incorporated into exposure structures intended for repeated use or exposure structures intended for limited use, variously referred to as single use cameras, lens with film, or photosensitive material package units.
The photographic elements can be exposed with various forms of energy which encompass the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as the electron beam, beta radiation, gamma radiation, x-ray, alpha particle, neutron radiation, and other forms of corpuscular and wavelike radiant energy in either noncoherent (random phase) forms or coherent (in phase) forms, as produced by lasers. When the photographic elements are intended to be exposed by x-rays, they can include features found in conventional radiographic elements.
The photographic elements are preferably exposed to actinic radiation, typically in the visible region of the spectrum, to form a latent image, and then processed to form a visible image, preferably by other than heat treatment.
The following examples illustrate the practice of this invention. They are not intended to be exhaustive of all possible variations of the invention.